A major movie studio needed a new vault to protect its irreplaceable negatives for films released after 1982. The studio was against installing a fire-sprinkler system. But a consultant reminded the studio that an insurer would require some sort of water system to protect the building itself if not the films, which are uninsurable.
The studio turned to SmithGroupJJR, which designed the 415,000-sf National A/V Conservation Center in Culpeper, Va., where the Library of Congress houses its film, video, broadcast, and recorded sound materials.
In that project, local code officials required a clean-agent fire suppression system with a pre-action water sprinkler system as backup. SmithGroupJJR went with a primary system that uses FM-200, a clean, colorless, environmentally friendly gaseous suppressant.
For the movie studio, SmithGroup came up with a “Russian nesting doll” design. SVP Hal Davis, the firm’s Cultural Studio Leader, explains that the vault is its own separate building, equipped with a clean-agent suppression system. The inner shell maintains temperature and humidity at just the right levels to preserve the film negatives. A second structure, fitted with a sprinkler system, will be built over the vault in such a way that water can’t get to the film stock. The roof actually diverts water away from the vault.
Construction of the nearly 10,000-sf structure kicked off in November. Davis says the structural redundancy, while adding to total cost, enabled the building to exceed the regional seismic code standard.
The design has attracted the attention of another studio. Davis believes the concept could have applications for other buildings that protect valuable books, paintings, artifacts, and documents.
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 20 Public Library Construction Firms for 2023
Gilbane Building Company, Skanska USA, Manhattan Construction, McCownGordon Construction, and C.W. Driver Companies top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 30 Public Library Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Tetra Tech High Performance Buildings Group, Thornton Tomasetti, WSP, and Dewberry top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 50 Public Library Architecture Firms for 2023
Quinn Evans, McMillan Pazdan Smith, PGAL, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Gensler top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 35 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Construction Firms for 2023
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Holder Construction, McCarthy Holdings, Clark Group, and Gilbane Building Company top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Morrison Hershfield, ME Engineers, Thornton Tomasetti, and Arup top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 60 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, DLR Group, Gensler, HGA, and Perkins Eastman top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Museum Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Clark Group, Bancroft Construction, STO Building Group, and Alberici-Flintco top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Museum Engineering Firms for 2023
Arup, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Alfa Tech Consulting Engineers, Kohler Ronan, and Thornton Tomasetti top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 70 Museum Architecture Firms for 2023
SmithGroup, Gensler, Ayers Saint Gross, Quinn Evans, HGA, and Cooper Robertson head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2024
Top 40 Religious Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Crossland Construction, Haskell, Big-D Construction, Whiting-Turner, and JE Dunn Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest religious facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.